Thursday 21 June 2018
Remember
with our April/May roadtrip – we planned it around fetching a computer server
in Cape Town? And ended up not taking
it?
Well this
time we really had to pick up the computer server. Since we love driving with the new car, we
thought we’ll drive down to Cape.
When we were just married, in 1993, we stayed
in Randfontein, Gauteng. And we used to
drive down on a regular basis – all in one go!
I remember one time … we decided at 5 pm, yes afternoon, not morning, to
drive down to Cape. Gosh, when we drove
through Worcester around 5 am, the sun was straight in our faces!
Being more
mature now (only just), Hein surprised me by booking us into a boutique hotel
in Bloemfontein. Anta Boga – (http://antaboga.co.za/)
Anta Boga which means –
Abundance of food, It is a place inspired by the myth and wonder of one of the
world’s most vibrant cultures, the Balinese. Our Sama Sama Restaurant which
means “You are welcome”, caters for Buffet style eating.
Thursday
morning I dropped our cat girl, Sammy, at her hotel for the weekend. Hein was supposed to have a meeting until 4pm,
so I started to pack slowly … meeting was done telephonically and we left
Joburg at 2pm. Woohoo! Hein
was quite impressed that I packed my own duffel bag … and managed to fit
everything in .. even 6 brooch flowers and of course 6 pairs of earrings, each
pair packed separately in a ‘mini Ziplock bag’.
The weather
was just amazing! And driving to
Bloemfontein – I nearly had whiplash from swinging my head side to side –
looking at the fields, the mountains, trees …. Absolutely gorgeous!
At Kroonvaal
1-stop we stretched our legs and I had some coffee. Listening to music and watching the scenery,
we had a lovely drive – 285 km to Bloemfontein …. And too late I realized I
should have had a pitstop at Kroonstad … cause the next stop was Bloemfontein …
and yeah …
Nearing
Bloemfontein, I was doing ‘lamaze’ exercises … breathe in slowly, exhale even
slower … at the very 1st fuel station, we stopped …
Driving to
our destination, Anta Boga, I got a bit nervous … the streets were a bit shabby
… and mostly industrial sites … as we rounded the corner quite a few cars were
on the pavement … I’m like ‘oh no, we cannot leave our car outside!’ …. But it
was a restaurant. Whew.
Parking at
Anta Boga, it looked real nice. Walked
into reception and the décor is warm and cosy and upmarket. With our room keys, we walked through a door
… yikes … people with leg/knee/hip problems, would have a hard time. The stairs are outside … towards the 2nd
floor … but each step has a downward slant … a bit weird. And a notice that said: ‘slippery when wet’ – hmmm. Sooo glad it wasn’t raining! Imagine you walking from your room in the
rain – down these slanting steps … not good.
The room
was lovely – big bed with a tiny balcony and even tinier table and chairs …
bathroom with a bath – glass doors on the bath with shower inside. We loved it, but again … the bath is quite high,
and people will find it difficult to manage.
We realized Hein’s spectacles were left at home. Sigh.
There’s always something left behind.
I couldn’t
resist a quick soak in the bath … then we walked downstairs to the
restaurant. A choice of buffet dinner
(R190/person) or a la carte. It was
still early (just after 6pm), so we walked to the small lounge area and had a
coffee and beer. Huuuge painted
canvasses on the wall with flowers and fruit – really comfy chairs and couch,
decorated in lovely patterned fabric. A
glass dome on a table had some rusks … I tried one but it wasn’t crunchy after
dipping in my coffee, so I left it.
Opting for
the a la carte option, I chose potato wedges and chicken wings. Hein chose the chicken schnitzel with cheese
sauce, mash & vegetables. We chose a
table next to a Jetmaster, Hein adding some wood to the flames.
The potato
wedges were amazing! Chicken wings a bit
tough – as well as the chicken schnitzel.
But the mash and vegetables were good.
Back in the
room we relaxed and had an early night.
Friday 22 June 2018
Woke up at
6 am. Hein made himself some instant
coffee, but I decided to wait for filter coffee at breakfast. Showered, dressed and walked down to
breakfast. Buffet style – the usual
suspects … eggs, bacon, hash browns (not crispy), fish balls (really crispy and
nice), toast, sausages, muffins, cereals, yoghurts, jam … but then also small
bowls with cut biltong, short pieces of droëwors, mini quiches, bowls with nuts
and seeds, a few dips and different slices of bread. And yummy strong black coffee!
8 am and
we’re on the road. Now for the long
stretch down to the Cape. Bit nippy as
we left Bloemfontein, but gorgeous open skies.
Around 10
am, we drove into Colesberg. Hein needed
to do some internet banking, so we stopped at Nineteen Eighty Nine coffee shop
(https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Restaurant_Review-g2242645-d13134586-Reviews-Nineteen_Eighty_Nine-Colesberg_Northern_Cape.html).
It was
windy outside, so we chose a table inside, next to a wall of books ‘for
sale’. We ordered cappu and coffee – a
scone with jam, cream & cheese.
Waiting for the coffee, I bought some rusks - I browsed the titles of
the books … only to found out it’s not sorted alphabetically! Now how on earth am I supposed to find a
specific author … I promise you – if we had more time, I would have taken down
all those books and sorted them alphabetically!
I mean really! (heehee)
Our coffee
and cappu each had a thin crispy gingerbread man on the saucer. The scone was ice cold and very dry. Sigh.
I just don’t understand these coffee shops – that they’re happy to serve
cold scone .. really??? A few seconds in
the microwave would have warmed it nicely.
Getting
ready to pay, the waiter and another waitress were just gone. Nowhere to be seen. Waited for a few minutes, I could hear them
in the kitchen, so I walked to the kitchen door and knocked very loudly. Our waiter rushed out – I told him nicely
that they cannot be all behind closed doors … and that the scone was really not
good. So we only paid for the coffees.
Next stop Travalia
Farmstall, part of 3 Sisters, outside Beaufort West … Hein hoped for a nice
pie. After 12 we stopped at Travalia (http://www.travalia.co.za/farmstore.html) – stretched our legs and walked
inside. It smelled delicious and it’s a
huuuge barn converted into a coffee shop and farmstall. There are hundreds of cute little things to
buy – sweets, homemade jams, kudu biltong, interesting needlework, jars of
pickles, kids’ toys, etc. Also freezers
filled with pies, meat, ‘roosterkoeke’ (griddle buns), etc.
Hein
ordered the lamb pie and it was really tasty … except that the pastry top could
have been more puffed. I ordered the
‘roosterkoek’ with cheese & tomato … oh dear. It looked like a real ‘roosterkoek’ with
griddle marks on the outside, but it wasn’t crisp. Grrrrrrr.
It’s as if you order a piece of toast – and you get a piece of soft,
chewy bread. Not nice!
Grabbing a
basket, I bought quite a few interesting items – some soft-dried pears, caramel
peanuts, a cute little packet of Romany Creams, sour sweets, kudu biltong, etc.
On the road
again – next stop Matjiesfontein (about 228 km) – Hein wanted to take pictures
of the station for his uncle Johann (from Despatch – where we overnight on the
previous roadtrip). With stopping every
2 hours to stretch legs, the trip was really enjoyable. Road wasn’t too busy, scenery changed every
few 100 kilometres. From yellow grass
and few trees and really distant mountains, to lush green fields, loads of
sheep (and babies), well-fed cattle, loads of trees and close hills and really
blue mountains! Wind pumps are dotted all
over the fields.
Through
Laingsburg and arrived at Matjiesfontein after 4pm. Years
ago we overnighted in a room at the Lord Milner Hotel (http://www.matjiesfontein.com/rooms/the-lord-milner-hotel/) – it had 2 baths – connected and right next to each other. Taps on opposite sides – perfect for a couple
with different bath temperatures! Also
had a flat area in-between for glasses and treats.
I just had
a quick look at their website and yes, some of the rooms still have the ‘double
baths’. Next to the station we
stopped. I walked around the car a few
times to stretch my legs – Hein walked up to the train tracks – and walked into
the museum to take photos. The next
moment, without any warning, a train came charging onto the tracks. I nearly had a fit – hopefully people weren’t
walking on the tracks! Hein was lucky
enough to take a video of the oncoming train and sent it to his uncle Johann.
After a
quick bathroom stop, we now had to hustle … Cape Town was waiting. As we drove towards Worcester, the sun set,
it started to drizzle and I kept my eyes on the road for any animals or silly
trucks.
Entering
the Huguenot tunnel (part of the Du Toitskloof mountain) I regretted all the
action movies showing car chases in a tunnel …. This tunnel is 3,9 km long and
I was seriously a bit on edge ….
Drove past
Paarl and then just about 1 hour away from Milnerton. I sms’ed June (from Sunset Decks Guesthouse (http://www.sunsetdecks.co.za/) of our approximate arrival time and then I
had to really focus with Hein on the road … gosh, these Capetonians can
seriously not drive! Slow drivers in the
fast lane, a huge truck barging from the centre of the double highway, turning
in front of us into the fast lane.
Luckily we weren’t that close to him.
Just after
7pm we stopped at the guesthouse.
Funnily enough, not tired at all.
Dumped our bags in the room and had a beer (Hein) and tea with June
& Lance. When we mentioned that we
thought about ordering a pizza, June & Lance invited us along to the Ocean
Basket in the Paddocks Centre (http://www.eatout.co.za/venue/ocean-basket-paddocks/) with their son Jaryd. I offered to drive them and we grabbed our
coats and left.
Last year
Ocean Basket had this AMAZING soup – Smoked Snoek Soup. Unfortunately they changed their menu and
instead now have a Salmon and Potato Soup.
That’s what I ordered … and although it was a real tasty soup, it didn’t
have the strong taste of the Snoek Soup.
The others had fish and chips and veggies – it all looked amazing! Service was good and over wine, beers, Dom
Pedro’s and cappuccino’s we had a smashing time.
Back in our
room, after 9pm, I unpacked our bags and we tucked in for the night.
Saturday 23 June 2018
Lance was
giving breakfast this morning, so we arranged for 8 am. After dithering about what to wear, I finally
walked up the stairs to the breakfast room.
I asked for brown toast and a fried egg.
Fresh filter coffee was waiting for me.
Hein had bacon, egg and toast.
9 am and
we’re on the road. We have a 12 o’ clock
date with Wilhelm and Eleanor – friends that we’ve known for 27 years! But we haven’t seen them in about 6 years.
Weather was
chilly and windy, but no rain. First a
detour through Stellenbosch – Hein’s old res, my 1st flat (1985) – then onwards
to Franschhoek in a light rain. Gosh,
FranschHoek has changed a lot – new shops, new buildings – thinking about
coffee, we couldn’t find a parking spot, so we drove on to the FranschHoek
pass.
My golly –
WAS IT WINDY!! When we reached the top
of the pass, a vehicle with caravan was parked – jeez, is this guy mad??? I suppose that’s why he stopped! Cannot imagine driving in that wind with a
caravan. Just as we started the descent
of the pass … A CYCLIST APPEARED. Now is
HE ABSOLUTELY BONKERS???????? Surely he
walked next to his bike for the rest of the pass!
Hein wanted
to check the water level of the Theewaterskloof dam … wow, it was a really
really sad picture! Mounds of sand has
shifted from the dam to the road – I can actually imagine it a perfect setting
for horror movies. Hein stopped on the
bridge to take pictures … the wind was really strong and he clutched his phone
for dear life!
Past the
Steenbras dam – quite full, actually.
And then I noticed the rainbow … oh my goodness, it was just
fabulous! It was a perfect semi-circle
in front of us. But then, there was
another one – a lot more faded, but noticeable!
As we drove
towards Grabouw, the rainbow shifted … at one stage I swore we actually drove
through the one end … sadly, no pot of gold appeared.
Our next
stop The Orchard Farm Stall just outside Grabouw (https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Restaurant_Review-g1931831-d2275240-Reviews-The_Orchard_Farm_Stall-Grabouw_Overberg_District_Western_Cape.html).
Quickly running to the bathrooms, the car guard said it was R2 … the
wind was whipping my hair around my face!
You slide open the glass door, step inside this huge barn-like structure
and wow …
After being
given 2 x R2 coins, we quickly dashed off to the bathrooms, dashed back inside
the farm stall and I grabbed a basket.
Our lunch date was soup – I was on ‘bread duty’. And my goodness, were there a selection of
fresh baked breads!!!!! I chose a normal
brown baked bread … then I chose 2 small rolls … then I discovered on the
table’s other side … fresh light rye bread!
Oh my goodness, it all smelled amazing!!!!
Hein chose
a few red wines (one was Gabriëlskloof), I chose some crisps, a jar of Gansbaai
honey and a delicious-looking Apple Crumble Pie. Searching the fridges, I couldn’t find any
fresh cream. Paid, dashed out to the car
and on the road. It was 11 am by now.
It was such
a nostalgic drive – memories of APL cartons (one of Hein’s clients YEARS AGO!) If you’ve ever heard of APL cartons – the
APL stands for Appels, Pere en Lemoene (apples, pears and oranges).
Over Sir
Lowry’s pass we drove, taking pictures of where my youngest sis Carla and
boyfriend Jan used to stay before they moved to Perth, Australia. Phoning Eleanor, we arrived at their gate.
Wilhelm and
Eleanor have 4 kids … Inge, Quintin, Mia and Emily. We’ve known them from baby times! It was raining quite a bit, but Quintin was
stoking the lounge fireplace – it was lovely and cosy inside. Hein, Wilhelm and Eleanor sampled the wines and,
in the kitchen, the big pot of veggie soup was simmering. The smell of celery was just sooo
amazing!!!!
While
listening to background music and watching the wind and rain outside, we
chatted about laminated flooring, online natural medicine magazines, growing chilies,
camping, featuring in television series, animals and cars.
After 3pm
we decided the soup’s ready. Slicing the
breads, Emily was standing like a stork (and
Hein said his eldest brother Deon used to stand like that – it’s called the
‘stork balance stand test) while watching me tore the smaller buns
apart. Emily asked if she also can tear
a bun – yes, go ahead. When I asked
Emily why she stood like that, she just said:
it’s comfortable. When you go and search for ‘stork balance
stand test’ it states if you cannot stand on 1 leg for 15-20 seconds, there’s
something wrong with either your ankles, knee, back or ear.
Wilhelm
grabbed a slice of the rye bread, spread real butter on it and when he bit into
it, his words were: ‘this is the chocolate cake of rye bread’. Of course we all grabbed some of the rye
bread and after biting into this buttery goodness, declared Wilhelm absolutely
right! It was a dark rye bread, but soft
as a pillow!!!!! Fantastic. When we
got home, I searched for a similar recipe, but besides the fact they all use
yeast, I couldn’t readily find a shop that sells rye flour.
Opening
more wine, pouring more tea (for me and Quintin), it was unanimously decided
that we would need fresh cream for the Apple Crumble Pie. I volunteered to drive and with Eleanor next
to me, we headed for the nearest Spar … but just about 1 km away I decided to
pop into the petrol station … and lo and behold, they had fresh cream!! Woohoo.
Back at
their house, Eleanor heated the oven for the pie and poured the cream in a
container … and whipped it with a handstick blender! Wow!!!
I wouldn’t have even thought of that!
Since her whisk was still packed away, she tried it and I learnt
something new.
With the
heated pie and whipped cream, we settled back and through sounds of ‘hmmmm’ and
‘aaaaaah’, most of the pie disappeared!
Everyone declared it a really good pie!
Emily LOOOOVED the whipped cream.
Inge was at
her flat but asked if we could fetch her – I jumped up again and with Eleanor’s
navigation, we fetched her. I haven’t
seen Inge in …. Yonks!!!!!! On our way
back, we chatted a bit and as soon as we stopped at the house, I gave Inge a
huuge hug!
With a
glass of red wine and some apple pie, I sat next to Inge and we chatted
away. It was time for us to leave … we
gave Inge a lift back to her flat and drove back to Milnerton. Parts of the highway are without streetlights
and it’s really dark out there.
Close to
the guesthouse, we stopped at the Steers for a nibble – chips topped with
Jalapeno rings and bacon. Yummy.
Back in our
room, we relaxed for a bit and then to bed.
We had a really early morning ahead of us.
Sunday, 24 June 2018
We planned
to leave at 6am, but both of us had trouble sleeping, so we woke at 6 am,
showered, packed and left at 7am. A
loooooong drive ahead of us.
Without any
coffee, we drove on towards the Engen 1-Stop, N1 close to Stellenbosch. Ordered 2 breakfast buns at Wimpy with black
coffee. Deeeelish!!!!! The Wimpy was busy, lots of bikers filling up
on coffee and breakfast.
Hein
decided we should stop again at Bloemfontein.
Every 2 hours we stopped for a quick leg-stretch. At one of the stops, I bought a
cappuccino. I took an extra carton
coffee cup together with a stirring stick (no plastic spoons) and bought a
small packet of roasted cashew nuts and a berry-yoghurt drink. I
normally have Greek yoghurt with honey, cinnamon and sometimes salted peanuts
at home as a snack. In the car, I
poured half of the berry-yoghurt drink in the extra coffee cup and added the
cashews. Stirred it and successfully ate
it with the stirring stick. It was good,
but I just realized again … cashews are WAY too rich for me.
For the
road, I also bought some chili biltong sticks and biltong slices. Opened the chili sticks, had a bite and
woweeeeee … it was just chili!!!!!
Luckily I still had some of the yoghurt drink to douse the
‘flames’. Threw that in garbage bag …
then tried the biltong slices – yuck, tasted off.
Hein booked
us into the City Lodge in Bloemfontein.
It was a really long drive – but the weather was absolutely
gorgeous! Once again, we noticed the
mountains and fields around us, but with a bit less enthusiasm.
5pm we
arrived in Bloemfontein. Tired, we
relaxed in our room and Hein fetched me a black coffee and a cold beer for
him. Before we really ‘conked’ out, Hein
went down to the restaurant to order room service dinner, I took a quick bath
and cleaned my face.
Chicken
green curry was my order – R50 – it was absolutely delicious!!!!!!!!!! Quite a big portion, served with fluffy
Basmati rice!!! It hit the spot.
Hein
ordered a beef and onion toasted sandwich with crisps. Bedtime.
Monday, 25 June 2018
Got up at
6am, showered, Hein had instant coffee (I chose to not have anything), packed
our car and at 7am we drove off towards Johannesburg. It was minus 1 degree outside!!!!
At
Kroonstad (around 8am), we stopped at a 1-stop, I bought a sausage roll for
Hein and a fresh brown cheese-tomato sandwich, together with MUCH NEEDED black
coffees. Next to me a guy was gushing over the fact that this coffee spot had
almond milk … so I told him about a program ‘Food Unwrapped’ – and how they
asked the manufacturers … how do you milk an almond? Hahahaha
Just after
10 am we stopped at our house. Quickly
unpacked the bags, I hopped into my car to fetch some medicine for my tickly
throat and to fetch Sammy.
It was a
fabulous weekend! Although a bit
exhausting in the end.
oo--oo
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